Farmers are concerned their livestock and produce could be barred from sale because of chemicals used in coal-seam gas drilling.
In a submission to the federal government about this year’s budget, the National Farmers’ Federation urged the government to accelerate assessment of the chemicals used in the coal-seam gas industry and in underground coal gasification.
The lobby group said the issue was becoming a legal headache for farmers, who are required by law to sign declarations vouching that their produce and livestock are free of certain chemicals.
“Farmers need to be assured that the chemicals that come into contact with commodities on their farms are suitable for contact with agricultural produce, and that the relevant withholding period has been enacted," the submission says.
Rosemary Nankivell, who farms 100km west of Tamworth and has campaigned against the expansion of the coal-seam gas industry, said it was not just a legal issue, but a financial one as farmers could not sell animals that might be contaminated.
Her concern was that the process of fracking, used to extract the gas, could contaminate water reserves that livestock rely on.
Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting a solution of water, sand and chemicals into a well to force cracks in the underground coal seam to allow gas to rise to the surface.
“It’s not so much an issue of cattle getting into sump ponds, because I doubt they’d drink it, it’s the leeching of drilling fluids through aquifers and contaminating other aquifers," Ms Nankivell said.
“And it’s not just the farmer with a well head on their property who could be affected but the neighbours as well."
A spokesman for the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, which represents the coal-seam gas industry, said it was already transparent regarding the chemicals used and supported scrutiny.
“Studies from around the world consistently show fracking chemicals pose no risk to environmental or human health at the levels or concentrations used and the petroleum industry welcomes scientific scrutiny of its operations and a fact-based discussion regarding its regulation," he said.
The Farmers’ Federation said that the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme must expand its scrutiny beyond just the chemicals used in coal-seam gas to include those used in underground coal gasification and unconventional geothermal energy.
The underground coal gasification process, which is being trialled in Queensland, involves underground combustion and the production of a synthetic gas. Coal-seam gas extraction involves pumping water from coal seams to release methane.
Farmers near Kingaroy in Queensland claim cattle were contaminated by benzine and toluene in a 2010 incident that led the Queensland government to shut down a project run by Cougar Energy after claims the groundwater was contaminated.
Kingaroy Farmer John Dalton said a neighbour was forced to withhold his cattle from sale when they tested positive for benzine and toluene.
He blamed it on leakages from Cougar’s underground coal gasification project.
The NFF has also asked the federal government for funding to help farmers determine whether payments from gas companies for land access are appropriate and for funds to help inform communities about how their concerns about coal and gas projects are being addressed.
The Australian Financial Review